Mandarin is a favorite fruit of the citrus family. Mandarin seeds are considered a source of nontraditional oil obtained from byproduct materials. This investigation aimed to assess the biomolecules of mandarin seeds and evaluated their antimycotic and antimycotoxigenic impact on fungi. Moreover, it evaluated the protective role of mandarin oil against aflatoxin toxicity in cell lines. The two types of extracted oil (fixed and volatile) were ecofriendly. The fatty acid composition, tocopherol, sterols, and carotenoids were determined in the fixed oil, whereas volatiles and phenolics were estimated in the essential oil. A mixture of the two oils was prepared and evaluated for its antimicrobial impact. The reduction effect of this mixture was also investigated to reduce mycotoxin secretion using a simulated experiment. The protective effect of the oil was evaluated using healthy strains of cell lines. Fixed oil was distinguished by the omega fatty acid content (76.24%), lutein was the major carotenoid (504.3 mg/100 g) and it had a high β-sitosterol content (294.6 mg/100 g). Essential oil contained limonene (66.05%), α-pinene (6.82%), β-pinene (4.32%), and γ-terpinene (12.31%) in significant amounts, while gallic acid and catechol were recorded as the dominant phenolics. Evaluation of the oil mix for antimicrobial potency reflected a considerable impact against pathogenic bacteria and toxigenic fungi. By its application to the fungal media, this oil mix possessed a capacity for reducing mycotoxin secretion. The oil mix was also shown to have a low cytotoxic effect against healthy strains of cell lines and had potency in reducing the mortality impact of aflatoxin B1 applied to cell lines. These results recommend further study to involve this oil in food safety applications.
Keywords: aflatoxin B1; antimicrobial; biodegradation; biomolecules; mandarin seed oil; mycotoxin; oil mix; toxigenic fungi.